An assailant with knives attacked a police officer from an elite unit guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade just after midnight on Wednesday, police said. The officer responded by fatally shooting the attacker.
Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said that police were treating the incident as a âterrorist attackâ and had raised the terror threat to the highest level and stepped up police presence at key locations.
He said the attacker was a minor and had two knives. He attacked the member of the Gendarmerie, shouting Allahu Akbar, or âGod is greatâ in Arabic. Dacic added that the police officer, who was slightly wounded in the face, killed the assailant in self-defense.
Israelâs foreign ministry confirmed the âattempted terrorist attack,â saying it was under investigation by the Serbian authorities.
âThe attacker was neutralized by local police,â the statement said. âNo embassy personnel were injured, and the mission was closed at the time of the incident, which occurred late at night.â
Serbian prosecutors said that a âperson dressed in black clothesâ opened the door to the guardâs booth outside the embassy and charged at the officer inside with the knives, throwing one in his direction and hitting the officerâs left cheek.
The officer, identified by his initials D.S., then pulled out his weapon and fired several shots at the assailant, killing him on the spot, the office of the Higher Public Prosecutor in Belgrade, said.
Police photos from the scene showed the guardâs booth outside the embassy and the area sealed off by police tape as officers in full gear stood nearby.
The attacker was believed to be from the western Serbian town of Sabac, Dacic said.
He said that Serbiaâs security agencies had been monitoring the attacker, who he said was a supporter of the Islamic State group.
Dacic said that âhe kept the black flag in support of the Islamic State on his Instagramâ account.
Wednesdayâs attack comes just days after Serbia held a key early parliamentary election on Sunday in which long-ruling former President Aleksandar Vucic was defeated by a youth-led movement after almost two years of protests against him.
But Vucic and his allies still control the police as the new government is yet to be formed.
Israel also held its parliamentary vote Tuesday that exit polls said produced no clear winner.
In June 2024, an attacker with a crossbow also wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade. The assailant was shot and killed by the officer.
Israelâs embassy is located not far from the U.S. Embassy in an upscale Belgrade district. It is guarded by an elite police unit with officers armed with automatic weapons.
Serbia has maintained close relations with Israel.
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